Phil was sprung with 25 grams of hooch on board his boat, which was anchored at the Tauranga Beach Marina in the North Island on October 7. He was arrested, and had his case heard by the courts earlier this week.
Not even a guilty plea in exchange for leniency was enough to save Phil, real name Phillip Witschke, who in turn was convicted for possession and slapped with a fine of $250 and $133 in court costs.
And according to reports, the judge was in no mood to play favourites - while dismissing Rudd's plea to not have the charge added to his record, the judge told him his arrest was "not just an accident. You were blindly ignoring the law. You have been playing Russian roulette".
Phil joined AC/DC in 1975, but was fired in 1983 after famously beefing with guitarist Malcolm Young. He rejoined in 1993, but now his future with the band is uncertain since a drug charge can make it damn near impossible to enter countries like the States.
"He travels extensively around the globe, across the planet, and on the basis of such criminality, which is low level offending, he is being targeted," defense lawyer Craig Tuck said.
Today, Rudd told sunlive.co.nz he thought the conviction was unfair.
"Give me a fair go," he said.
"My only Russian roulette is surviving life on the road."
And while the ageing rocker said he hadn’t talked to the other Acca Dacca band mates about his conviction, he wasn’t sure whether they would do another tour.
"I haven't heard anything. It's hard to say if we will do," he said.
Do you think Phil deserved his conviction? Let us know by commenting below! Meanwhile, see the rocker in more trouble-free times in the video below...
Copyright : MTV CLASSIC
